Heat has long been used to modify and reshape collagen beneath the surface of the skin. Egyptians used salt, oil and alabaster to improve skin texture and Turks used fire to singe the surface of the skin. In the twentieth century, chemical peels implementing phenol and trichloacetic acid were introduced to reduce wrinkles and remove other anomalies of the skin. Lasers, such as carbon dioxide lasers, were also developed and used for the reduction or elimination of wrinkles, such as periorbital wrinkles, and other anomalies of the skin.
Such methods were more or less effective in reducing or eliminating wrinkles by providing energy in the form of heat to the subepidermal layer, the so-called papillary dermis, between the epidermis and the reticular dermis of an individuals skin. Heat stimulates release of factors that promote new collagen growth and a thicker healthier matrix of elastins and collagen to provide a younger looking skin. However, these techniques result in removal, destruction or damage to the epidermis proximate the area in which heat is applied to the subepidermal layer. The damage or destruction of the epidermis results in redness, loss of body fluid and a greater potential for infection.
For example, with lasers, laser light energy is used to heat tissue beneath the epidermis, but the laser light energy must pass through the epidermis on its way to the treatment area. This laser light energy is absorbed by the epidermis as it passes therethrough and generates unwanted heat that effectively damages or ablates the epidermal layer in the area of treatment. After time, the epidermis heals and grows back over the treatment area.
Attempts have been made to minimize injury to the epidermis by removing heat from the epidermal area proximate the area of treatment. This is typically accomplished by delivering a coolant to the epidermis at the area where it is penetrated by the laser beam. However, this adds to the complexity of the equipment and the procedure.
It would be advantageous to have a light transport modifier that could be applied to the epidermis to permit the transfer of certain types of electromagnetic energy through the epidermis to the area of treatment without absorption of energy and the resultant detrimental buildup of heat in that area of the epidermis.